


Sunlight

by Daerwyn



Series: A Collection of Drabbles by Helmaninquiel [8]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Arranged Marriage, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-28 11:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5089166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daerwyn/pseuds/Daerwyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You were saturated sunlight. "If you take her eyes, she will be blind. But if you take her heart, she will be empty."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunlight

You had done a lot to change Rohan for the better once Eomer returned as King from war. With people now able to live in peace, the orc armies no longer roaming the countryside, Eomer watched as you kept up morale, even when you yourself had little hope any more. You had lost everything in this bitter war.

Eomer had only done what he could to keep you in your position, but with no Prince, there was no need for a beloved princess. Everything had changed when Theodred had died, and you were left alone. One of the things he enjoyed watching change was the flower gardens you grew outside the gates. The brilliant yellow flowers that you would surround yourself in all hours of the day.

Eomer knew that they had been the flowers Theodred gave to you, when he had asked to court you, and every day since he had found a bloom somewhere in the city. But he could not make you forget Theodred - he would not.

Eowyn would talk to you, as you rarely talked at meals otherwise. You would give a smile, a few heartfelt words, but never anything more. But you could not live at the palace forever. And so it was not until nearly a year after Eomer became King, and your flowers had grown to their peak, that he joined you in the patch of flowers.

At first, he could tell you did not notice him. But once Eomer got closer, the sunlight catching your golden blonde hair tangled with a crown of yellow flowers, he noticed how you were not just simply enjoying the memories that the flowers gave you, but  **you were saturated sunlight.**

You seemed to glow in response to the sun, and were so bright, that he could not see anything other than you. It was then that you glanced towards him, and he saw your curious expression. “King Eomer,” you spoke gently, as if your voice was made of the very flower petals you surrounded yourself with. “What are you doing outside of the gates?”

“I wished to speak to you,” he stated. You moved to stand, but Eomer waved you back down. “May I join you?”

“If you’d like,” you spoke, and he saw a little bit of reservation in her gaze. He nodded, sitting a few feet away from you, and gazed at the valley of Rohan around him. “What is this about, King Eomer?”

“Eomer, please. We have grown up together.” You ammended, and he detected the careful tone as you repeated his name. “The Council is seeking to remove you from the palace.”

“I… I see,” you said, frowning slightly. “I… I’ve no place to go. I’ve lived in the palace my whole life.”

“I know. Just as you were betrothed your whole life-” Eomer stopped, wincing as you glanced down to the flowers under you, knowing exactly who he was talking about. Eomer retracted. “I do not wish to see you leave the palace. So I am offering you a chance to stay.” You glanced up, still frowning, but confused. “I do not need to produce an heir,” Eomer continued cautiously. “Once Eowyn and Faramir marry, I will name her children my heirs, just as my uncle had done to me.” He could tell you understood where this was going. “I would not ask anything of you, nor do I wish to replace anyone for you. But I can offer you a home to remain in, and in turn I will get the pressure of the Council off of my back to marry.”

You stared at him in incredulity before swallowing. And when you met his gaze, Eomer tried to decipher your thoughts. “You would… marry me when you could easily marry someone you loved in my stead?”

“There is no one I love, and I cannot promise to love you, but I will promise to protect you and cherish you.” Eomer reached out a hand to you and was given some boldness when you placed your hand in his. His hands were much larger, and rough from years of gripping reins. “I do not ask for your heart, nor for your bed, or for your happiness. I just ask that this is a decision that pleases you.”

“I cannot be the wife that you deserve,” you said quietly.

“You were raised to be a Queen since the day you were born,” Eomer spoke simply. “I ask for no one more than a Queen. You need not worry about being a wife. I just know that it would be more worth while if we got what we both wanted.”

“And that is?”

“Peace.”

You seemed to be struggling with a decision, and Eomer quickly added on. “You need not make a decision tonight. I will give you as much time as you need and tell the Council where exactly they can find the pile of stable waste.” You gave him a small smile. “I just wished to propose the idea to you today, so that you may think it over.”

And so when he left you, he left wondering if it was a deal you would take. Eowyn was waiting for him at the doors of the royal residence. “ **If you take her eyes, she will be blind. But if you take her heart, she will be empty.** ”

“I have no intentions of taking her heart,” Eomer told his sister quietly, glancing back to where you sat in the flowers, twirling one between your fingers. “Nor do I intend to take her eyes. She will see who I am, and she will know I am not Theodred. Her heart will always belong to him.”

“And you’ve yet to tell her that you care for her?” Eomer’s gaze darted to his sister, betrothed to marry in less than a month. “She should know so before the wedding.”

“I have told you, sister, I have no intentions of taking her heart, nor does she wish to take mine. I do not care to make her feel as mother did when father died. She is already that way, and if we should confess feelings, and I die in battle? It will become worse for her.”

“Yet she lives whereas mother could not.”

“Eowyn, leave it.” Eomer’s order was not one a brother gives a sister, but one a King gives to those under him. And Eowyn merely gave a small smile, and nod, before she turned back to where you sat.

“I will tell you if she has come to a decision, should she not wish to tell you herself. Sometimes I think she is scared of talking to you.”

“I did throw a worm at her when she was six.”

Eowyn laughed, and Eomer gave you one last look before disappearing inside, to look over the duties that he had abandoned for your sake. Wondering when you’d say yes. If you would at all.


End file.
